1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices used for washing and personal hygiene. More specifically, the invention relates to devices used to support a bar of soap for keeping the soap dry when not in use.
2. Technology in the Field of the Invention
It is known virtually worldwide to use a bar of soap for washing. Millions of people use soap every day for the washing of hands and body. The traditional bar of soap comprises a dry material that becomes a surface acting agent (or “surfactant”) when applied to human skin with water. The soap is generally made by treating vegetable or animal oils and fats with a strongly alkaline solution.
After a bar of soap has been used, it is common to place the bar of soap on a counter or in a soap dish. However, this creates a problem as a pool of water tends to collect on the counter or in the dish after the bar of soap has been used. Moreover, the bar tends to retain and even absorb at least a small amount of water while it sits in the pool, causing the soap to become gooey. This “goo” becomes a source of soap loss. Over the life of a bar of soap, it is estimated 15 to 20% of soap volume may disintegrate, slough off the bar, or be lost down a drain due to this condition.
To avoid this problem, some have created soap dishes having ridges along a bottom surface. The soap is placed on top of the ridges in the dish, allowing the soap to rest above any pool of water that may form between uses. However, not all dishes have such ridges. Further, the ridges tend to create only very shallow trenches, meaning that in some cases the bar of soap is still in contact with water. In addition, moisture residing on or in the bar can become trapped along the soap dish ridges.
To avoid these issues, many manufacturers have begun providing soap in liquid form, wherein the soap is dispensed from a container using a pump. In the U.S. and Europe, liquid soap has become a significant portion of soap sales. However, for several reasons liquid soap has a higher environmental impact than bar soap, not the least of which is that liquid soap requires several times more energy for raw material production and 20 times more energy for packaging production than bar soap. Further, liquid soap tends to be more expensive than bar soap. Additionally, liquid soap is heavier and more voluminous than bar soap on a per-wash basis. As a result, shipping requires more space and more fuel to transport the same number of cleanings. It is also observed that empty liquid soap containers add several million pounds of plastic trash each year.
Accordingly, a need exists for a device that replaces the traditional soap dish or, alternatively, that supplements the soap dish. Further, a need exists for a device that may be selectively attached to any bar of soap, and then used as an integral soap stand to support the bar of soap over any pool of water that may arise in a soap dish or on a counter top.